Rock the boat & start a new hobby

One piece of advice I’ve heard about the empty nester stage of life is that it’s helpful to adopt a new hobby. Trying something different takes your mind off your worries as your children begin adulthood and helps you miss them a little less.

Last year, my husband John suggested getting our own kayaks so we could explore the many waterways of central Indiana and beyond. I loved this idea, but we bought our used ones a little late in the season to try them out.

When the spring of 2024 arrived, my father-in-law, Ron, was in hospice. When he passed last April, I knew we had many weekends ahead of us where we’d be out of town.

We had Ron’s celebration of life in June followed by multiple work sessions to get his house and property ready to be put on the market. We worked with John’s brother, his wife, and other family members and friends and we now have an accepted offer!

So, to me, our summer – and subsequent kayaking – really began in August. John and I did our research and decided to start with the canoe launch on Morse Reservoir at Red Bridge Park in Cicero. Great choice! The launch was close to the parking lot and made it easy to get in and out of the water.

We traveled northwest that afternoon and had a delightful time seeing the wildlife all around us.

Buoyed by this success (pun intended), we figured we’d try kayaking on the White River over Labor Day weekend. This was … not so easy. In fact, my brain hurt trying to plan what steps to take to efficiently park one vehicle at the start and one at the end without a ton of “back and forth.” Thankfully John easily figured it all out.

And, we had an angel from White River Canoe Company direct us to a great starting point last Sunday – Riverwood Canoe Landing. We never got the bus driver’s name but appreciate her knowledge and kindness!

Despite the heavy rains Friday night through Saturday morning, the river was quite low. We often got stuck on the rocks at various points throughout the trip. Poor John got stopped more than I did – he is, after all, a man and weighs more than me.

While we did have some fun and laughs, this experience taught us that it might be better to try the river next spring after some good rains.

I’m sure we’ll get in a couple more trips before it gets too cold this fall … my more experienced friend Heather sent me a great list of other possibilities on central Indiana lakes that we’ll try out.

We love this new hobby. It gives us terrific exercise and gets us out in nature – two incredible mood boosters.

If you’re struggling as an empty nester, I encourage you to explore something new and be open to both the fun and the challenges. You may hit some “rocks” along the way, but you’ll learn a lot and experience so much joy.

Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs, and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.